Expert organizer talks about eagles with nests and bees without forests

The Industry and Trade Newspaper had a conversation with Mr. Nguyen Duc Ha, former Head of the Department of Party Organization, Central Organization Committee, about the revolution of streamlining the apparatus of the political system, emphasizing the need for synchronous implementation from the Central to the local level and the role of each individual and organization. Notably, the solution is to develop the private economic sector to create jobs for the redundant cadres.

Former Head of the Party Base Department Nguyen Duc Ha. Photo: Le An

No one is left out

- Why does this streamlining of the apparatus need to be implemented synchronously from the central to local levels, from ministries to socio-political organizations?

Mr. Nguyen Duc Ha: This is not only the participation of the political system, but also an urgent requirement that requires high consensus and unity from cadres, civil servants, public employees, workers and the whole society. Each individual and each organization has a certain role in this innovation process. If only one part makes efforts while the others are still hesitant and hesitant, it will be difficult to create real change.

Therefore, we need to have a comprehensive view, clearly recognizing that this is not simply an adjustment of the organizational structure, but a comprehensive revolution. More importantly, it must be implemented synchronously from the central to local levels, from ministries to Party agencies, the Government, the National Assembly, the Fatherland Front, socio-political organizations, the press, the media, etc. Only when everyone gets involved and joins hands to implement, can we eliminate the mindset of waiting, relying, or the mentality of standing outside and observing.

The idea of ​​"running and lining up at the same time" is completely correct and suitable for the current context. Everyone has to run, no one can stand still, because if we delay, we will miss the opportunity for reform and development. When synchronization is seriously implemented from the central to local levels, from senior leaders to the grassroots, it will create a strong driving force, break down bottlenecks, overcome stagnation. This is the way to help us take advantage of opportunities, mobilize maximum resources and avoid waste.

The Party's leadership role in the apparatus streamlining revolution is extremely clear and important. From the end of 2024 to the beginning of 2025, the Central Executive Committee, the Politburo, and the Secretariat have continuously issued important guiding documents such as Conclusions 121, 126, 127, 128, etc. This demonstrates the drastic, urgent, and methodical direction, with the goal of providing clear directions, creating a solid foundation for synchronous implementation throughout the political system. The Politburo's working schedule is currently calculated weekly, with strict reporting, completion, and presentation requirements, demonstrating the seriousness and determination in implementing this policy.

The general spirit is high political determination, great efforts, and drastic actions. The most important thing is to look far and wide, do big things with a long-term vision. Our Party has drawn many lessons from previous stages, from which it has adjusted its approach to achieve greater efficiency this time.

The streamlining revolution not only aims to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of state management but also aims to optimize resources, creating a premise for the country's sustainable development in the coming period.

Do not let state agencies be "safe havens" for weak officials.

The General Secretary has repeatedly emphasized the screening of cadres. In your opinion, what is the significance of this in the current period?

Mr. Nguyen Duc Ha: Developing human resources, especially high-quality human resources, is a key task. In the three recent Congresses (11th, 12th, 13th Congresses), our Party has identified three strategic breakthroughs: perfecting institutions, developing human resources, and building infrastructure. Of these, the human factor is still the most important. Cadres are the ones who plan policies, organize the apparatus, operate the political system, and implement policies. Without good cadres, there cannot be an effective apparatus.

In this revolution of streamlining the apparatus, the key factor is to restructure the staff, choose the right people, and assign them to the right jobs to promote their strengths. As Uncle Ho once said: "Use people like using wood", meaning that the right person must be placed in the right position. A good carpenter cannot build a house and vice versa, a mason is not good at making cabinets.

Why did the General Secretary emphasize that state agencies cannot become "refuges" for incompetent officials? Because reality shows that the administrative apparatus has become increasingly bloated, the number of staff has increased but the work efficiency is not commensurate. Streamlining the apparatus not only helps reduce the bulkiness but also provides an opportunity to select officials with real capacity.

This streamlining of the payroll is expected to cause a large number of officials and civil servants to leave the public sector. This is also an opportunity to select truly capable people. We need to have clear criteria to evaluate officials, ensuring that good people are assigned suitable jobs, avoiding the situation where weak people still exist in the system.

To do this, the selection of cadres must be conducted in an open, transparent, objective and for the common good. The leader must also have the capacity to detect, use and promote the role of talented people. If the leader is not qualified enough, it will be difficult to recognize or use the right talented people.

It should be noted that the issue of streamlining the payroll not only affects individual cadres and civil servants, but also affects their families and relatives. This change leads to changes in the working environment, working conditions, economic benefits, promotion paths, etc. Therefore, the Party and the State always have policies and support so that no one is left behind and as we know, that has been demonstrated through Decree 178/ND-CP which took effect from the beginning of this year.

Therefore, we should realize that, even if some people make immediate sacrifices, when the apparatus is streamlined, the political system operates more effectively, and the country develops, the ultimate benefit still belongs to the whole society, creating conditions for sustainable development.

Preparing the fields for honey bees

- General Secretary To Lam once raised the question: "We talk a lot about preparing nests for eagles, but why haven't we mentioned much about forests for honey bees?". The General Secretary emphasized the need for new job creation targets, as in the coming period, about 100,000 workers will leave the state sector due to streamlining the apparatus and 100,000 young people will be discharged from the army. The General Secretary asked an open question: What policies does the Government have to help the non-state sector absorb part of this force? In your opinion, how will the Government act to resolve the surplus labor force?

Mr. Nguyen Duc Ha: Recently, General Secretary To Lam emphasized the role of the private economic sector. The General Secretary affirmed that the private economy is the most important factor for growth, budget revenue and job creation.

It can be said that an open private economic sector will attract workers and create jobs. If employment is not resolved, leading to unemployment, it will affect political and social stability, leading to many other complicated problems. Therefore, in recent times, the General Secretary has emphasized the development of the private economy, removing bottlenecks, overcoming shortcomings to fully exploit potential.

We must see that, in previous terms, Resolution No. 10-NQ/TW dated June 3, 2017, affirmed that the private economy is an important driving force of the socialist-oriented market economy in our country.

In fact, the private sector plays a very important role in economic growth. We set a target of 8% economic growth this year, and in the future it must reach double digits, that is, over 10%. To achieve that, the private sector must make a significant contribution. Therefore, it is necessary to facilitate private enterprises, especially in terms of access to capital. The image of a "bee colony" is used to emphasize the important role of small and medium-sized enterprises and individual business households. If we only focus on taking care of the nests for the "eagles", that is, large corporations, and ignore the "bee colony", we will not be able to fully exploit the economic potential.

Besides, the General Secretary mentioned that Vietnam is not inferior to any nation in the world, but needs a breakthrough solution for development. That shows that there needs to be a breakthrough in utilizing human resources in Vietnam. History has proven that labor productivity determines victory. The important thing is not only what is produced, but also how and with what method. Technology, intelligence, and science are the decisive factors.

Currently, the fourth industrial revolution is having a strong impact on every country. The Politburo has issued Resolution 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation. General Secretary To Lam has also emphasized lifelong learning. This is a core element in the context of the industrial revolution and knowledge economy.

Thank you!

During his career, Mr. Nguyen Duc Ha held the position of Head of the Party Base Department, Central Organization Committee; Member of the working group assisting the Politburo and Secretariat in implementing the Resolution of the 4th Central Committee, 11th Term; one of the members who built and completed Resolution 18-NQ/TW in 2017 on "Some issues on continuing to innovate and reorganize the apparatus of the political system to be streamlined and operate effectively and efficiently".

Tran Dinh

Source: https://congthuong.vn/chuyen-gia-to-chuc-noi-chuyen-dai-bang-co-to-va-dan-ong-thieu-rung-379690.html